"A-a-a-a-a-ACHOO!!" Twilight Sparkle, alicorn, princess of Equestria, bearer of the element of magic, was sick. With what appeared to be the common cold. Only problem was, alicorns don't get sick with the common cold. Nor the flu. And they were scheduled for a visit to Princess Celestia.
"Twilight, stop trying to get up! You'll just make things worse!" Spike exclaimed, holding on to a bowl of chicken soup, which her was (badly) attempting to feed Twilight with. Twilight sneezed. And then she sneezed again. And again.
"Sp-sp-spikeCHOO! Its imperative tha-tha-thaCHOO! we vi-vi-visitCHOO Princess Ce-ce-celestiCHOO! ughblahmahgah," croaked Twilight her mouth starting to fill up with saliva. At least it wasn't mucus. Spike was glad her wasn't the target of that curse. Spike looked at the sick pony. Eww... he almost want the mucus back. That at least had an easy cure.
"Twilight, I've already sent a letter explaining that we weren't coming and why. Princess Celestia will understand, she might've even gotten this odd illness before." Spike suddenly had his own burping fit. "See, a reply!"
"W-w-well r-r-readCHOO it," sneezed Sneezelight Snotcle. Holding back a giggle, Spike opened the letter.
"Ahhem,
Dear Twilight Sparkle, While I am upset at your current condition, it proves a theory I've been having for a few days now. We need you to come to Canterlot, with your friends, as planned. Do not worry, the diseases only affect alicorns, and currently, the alicorns you'd affect by being in canterlot all already have the disease. Time is of the essence. Princess Celestia.
Twilight gasped, "CELESTIA IS SICK!" Sneeze, "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, OH MY GOOD ACHOO!" Twilight sniffed up snot. "Eglabsnhdhs..."
"It's fine Twilight, maybe Celestia knows a cure." I hope... Spike thought, as he comforted the sick alicorn. Something weird was going on, and he want no part in it.
The mane six were quiet on the way there, save for Twilight, naturally. Rarity was wishing she had brought some fabric, or something, while Fluttershy wanted Angel to snuggle. The train arrived in Canterlot on schedule. When they got there, royal guard members had been assigned to take Twilight to the castle secretly. The good news was that Shining Armour was there! The bad news was that Princess Cadance had gotten sick.
"BBBFF! ACHOO! Oh," Twilight sniffed, her reddish eyes watering up, "sorry Shining." Shining Armour smiled and wiped away the phlegm.
"It's fine Twily. I've taken care of you when you were sick before. Only difference now is that Spike is taking care of you!" Shining Armour giggled a bit. Not the giggles when you are truly happy, but on of those ones when you are worried and trying to lighten the mood. "Anyway, the plan is to move you with few ponies see you. If anyone does, then the story is you have the alicorn flu."
"What's the alicorn flu?" Spike asked. Shining Armour nervously laughed a bit.
"A way for immortal, forever free of illness, alicorns to get a vacation. Generally, the one who they are married to also gets conveniently sick during that time." Spike turning red a bit, waiting to hear Twilight scold Shining Armour for talking about that in front of Spike.
" Zzzzzzzz..." a tired alicorns cried.
"Oh, Twily," Shinign Armour sighed, looking at his adorable younger sibling. It reminded him of when Twilight was a baby, tired and worn out... he shook his head. No time for reminiscing now. "We'll need to move quickly." Shining Armour informed the group. "Princess Celestia is expecting us in fifteen minutes, and we need to be at the castle in ten. Move it!"
"Dost though really believe Twilight's friends can do it alone?" Asked Luna. Canterlot castle was bright and cheerful, but the atmosphere was dark and grim. Outsiders weren't allowed to see either princess. They were told it was alicorn flu, a fake disease, that everyone knew was fake, and as such assumed the princesses were having some fun. But the castle cleaners knew it wasn't alicorn flu, as Celestia would leave the castle, but this time, she remained.
"They have to..." Celestia replied, eyes closed. "All of us alicorns represent concepts that are necessary for the life of this universe. If this... sickness, manages to take over all of us, the universe could be doomed."
"Dost thou really think the perpetrator might go to such extreme lengths? They would perish with everypony else!" Celestia sighed.
"That's what I'm afraid of. Only two ponies in the world can destroy our world and not be harmed."
"But Aunties," Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, exclaimed "Faust and Craig would never harm our world like that. They are life and death to us, literally! They would never hurt our world deliberately!"
"But if tis not them, who might be willing to sacrifice there own mortal, or immortal lives, to kill us all?"
"I don't know..." Celestia whispered, "I don't know."
"Your highnesses," Shining Armour interrupted, bowing low to there highnesses, Celestia and Luna, and the bestest of all princesses in the multiverse, Princess Shinning Armour's Wife Who Hates Waking Up At Three To Care For a Sick Baby Alicorn While Very Sick Herself So You Have To Do It. "Princess Twilight."
One of the rulers of the world, delivered on a mattress to other rulers of the world, while asleep and covered in grossness.
"Oh no..." Celestia gasped, her horn beginning to light up, "Twilight Sparkle is still a young alicorn, and one made, not born. This sickness would affect her the most."
"Is that bad?" Asked Spike. Celestia shook her head.
"I should be able to redirect the worst of the illness into my body."
"Would that harm you?"
"It shouldn't, I am one of the older alicorns, and the older you get, the stronger you get." She closed her eyes, bracing herself, fully prepared for any pain that might come. And come it did. Celestia felt she was on fire on the inside, the illness was truly the work of a master. In a few seconds, the pain vanished. It still took all Celestia could do to stand up still. "That... hurts more then I thought it would..."
Twilight began to wake up. As you may know, Twilight loves Princess Celestia. Not in romantic love, but more of Would Jump Off A Cliff Whilst Battling An Entire Army To Save Her love. So, you can imagine how she would react to seeing Celestia hurt.
"Celestia! What's wrong?" Twilight exclaimed, her hair magically becoming messy.
"Twilight, calm down," Celestia spoke, gently and softly "something very wrong has happened. Do you know how many Alicorns there are in this world?"
"Yes, five, you, Luna, Cadance, Flurry Heart, and me."
"Well, there are actually many more alicorns in this world then just us."
"There's more!" Twilight exclaimed, the backdrop becoming red temporarily, as her face was in a look of astonishment.
"Yes Twilight," Princess Cadence replied. "I'm not the sharpest on my alicorn history, but I know there is Faust and Craig, the alicorns of Life and Death, Ingoma, the alicorn of music, Asu, Skylar, and Kahana, earth, air and water... umm..."
Princess Luna cuts in, " There are also Hrista, the alicorn of cold and winter, Alharu, the alicorn of heat and fire, and Silvia, the alicorn of nature, and Amser and Charos, the alicorns of time and space respectively."
"And finally, there is Meghan, the alicorn of magic." Celesta finished for Luna.
"But, what happens if the sickness... kills one of us alicorns? Would the thing we represent cease to exist? If I die, do ponies stop being friends?" Twilight asked, breathing heavily.
"No. What we stand for would remain. However, when an alicorn dies, another alicorn must take up the place that they left, but if no other alicorn who is able to take the burden remains, then yes, it would disappear." Celestia answered.
"But thou musn't worry." Luna answered, seeing Twilight be very much worried, "there is still much hope. If your friends find all of the other alicorns and manage to bring them back here, I believe we might be able to call Faust and Craig from there dimensions. They are the only ones, we believe, who can cure this sickness."
"And I believe your friends have arrived." Cadence remarked, as the mane 5 walked into the throne room.
Twilight's friends were devastated when they heard the news about the sickness. However, they knew they would have to do everything they could to save the alicorns. "But Princess," Applejack asked, "which one of them alicorns should we find first?"
"You should go after Ingoma first. She lives in Zebrica, so I'd recommend bringing Zecora along. She might be able to translate for you." Celestia answered.
"But you must hurry. For all we know, the sickness could destroy us tomorrow." Luna informed them, "so time is of the essence."
"Well, if you have a need for speed, Rainbow Dash is on your case!" Raindow exclaimed.
"C'mon girls. Lets get going to Zebrica." Applejack began to trot out the door, the rest of the mane 6 minus Twilight following her.
"Umm... Twilight."
"Yes Spike?"
"Can I go with them, so you can keep in touch. I'm sure Starlight can take care of you while I'm gone."
"Good idea, Spike. But I'd recommend hurrying to catch up!" Spike raced after the other ponies, ready to do whatever needed to be done to save Equestria, and the alicorns.
Author's Note
I had a different version of this beginning, but it didn't make since in text format. In that version, Twilight and her friends would be breaking out into a spontaneous musical number, and then suddenly, something would go wrong, and the mane six would realize that music wasn't working anymore, so they hear about the sickness, Celestia would send 5 of the mane 6 to find Ingoma, the princess of music.
